Thelo Asgaard is hoping to make history as Norway take on England in Miami tonight
Georgina and her son Thelo Aasgaard at the World Cup 2026
Georgina and her son Thelo Aasgaard at the World Cup 2026(Image: Supplied/Olga Aasgaard)
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The parents of the Mossley Hill-born Norwegian international Thelo Aasgaard have revealed how their son's unique upbringing has helped him reach the World Cup quarter-final against England tonight.
Going to Calderstones School before rising through the ranks in Liverpool FC's youth system, Thelo went on to play at a professional level for Wigan Athletic before signing for Rangers in Scotland last year. His steady rise through the ranks in club football saw him receive a surprise call-up to this year's World Cup squad, representing Norway, his dad's birthplace.
Mossley Hill native, Thelo, 24, is the eldest child of Georgina, originally from France, and dad, Jonathan from Norway. He has two younger siblings, Ismael and Olga.
While he is the first in his family to play football professionally, his parents believe that their own careers as professional cello players may have helped shape his incredible rise. Georgina Aasgaard told the ECHO: "I think there are lots of similarities between the disciplines, the self-discipline, and the hard work that we do, both as musicians and as athletes or as sports people."
Thelo Aasgaard
He has already come up against some of the biggest stars in the world this tournament(Image: Getty Images)
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"I think with his upbringing he got some of this from both of us, as we're both performing cellists. And this thing of every morning, get up, go to your [music] scales, repeat things a hundred times until you get really good. This is what we do as practicing musicians. We repeat things, and in a way it's not so dissimilar to what Thelo's been doing as well.
"Practicing his skills in and out hundred times, thousand times, a million times until you think they're good enough. But at the end of the day, very often you think they're not quite good enough, and you always have to start again the next morning. Start again from scratch every day and just work really hard.
"I think that's what we both do as musicians and as footballers as well, this extreme discipline of always repeating, repeating, repeating until you get to what you want."
Thelo sharing a special post-match moment with his sister and dad
Thelo sharing a special post-match moment with his sister and dad(Image: Supplied/Olga Aasgaard)
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But, their strict training regimes aren't the only thing that they have in common. Thelo's dad Jonathan said: "When you talk about playing music in an ensemble, for example, you've got to play on the same team. You can't be pulling in different directions. You've got to have the same idea and same plan and passion."
"I think when you see Thelo is really enjoying himself, in his absolute element, it becomes more than just the kicking of a ball. It becomes a kind of self-expression, as if it was a type of performing arts."
Much like his parents do when they take to the stage, when Thelo steps out onto the pitch it is his "creativity" that shines. Georgina said: "Thelo has always been a very creative child, I think he can really create these moments of magic on the pitch. What makes him a really special player is his creative side, I think he can really create moments for a team from his midfield position. He creates these kind of magical moments and then come up with the most incredible technical skills as well, which end up in some of the incredible goals we have all witnessed throughout his career."
Thelo Aasgaard
Thelo celebrates his goal against France(Image: Getty Images)
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One of those "incredible goals" came just weeks ago when his dad's Norway took on his mum's national team, France. Georgina said: "I don't think I have any words to describe what it felt like when the goal went in, especially as I was in the middle of both our families from France and Norway. It was just the most surreal experience."
She added: "Throughout the World Cup, I've been Norway all the way. Obviously, I had lots of banter with my French family, and they are all so supportive of Norway as well. And it was just like an incredibly emotional moment. That's all I can say. It was just tears all around. In the end all that mattered in that moment is to see my son happy, whether it was France or Norway, it was just an incredible moment."
As Thelo and his teammates prepare to take on England tonight, his mum and girlfriend, Ellie will be in the crowd. However, previous work commitments mean that his dad will be joining millions around the country watching the game on TV. He said: "I'm giving concerts at the Cheltenham Festival on Saturday and in a festival in York on Sunday, and I would just let too many people down if I didn't do it. I'll watch the whole game. It starts at 10 pm, and I've already planned a pub to watch it in with a few friends."
While both Georgina and Jonathan have been keeping in close contact with Thelo as Norway have progressed throughout the competition, conversation has rarely veered towards the main event. Instead they leave that to him. Georgina said: "We never speak about the game. We usually speak about other things. When it comes to preparing his mind for the game, that's completely up to him, he's the master of this."